Apparatus for paper-making



F.'M. CHAPMAN. APPARATUS FOR PAPER MAKING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I9. I918.

Patented N 0V. 2, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Mvewior Frankfl L'hqvmu,

UNITED S TTES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK M. CHAPMAN, OF NAQHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AS-SIGNOR TO IMPROVED PAPER MACHINERY COMPANY, OF NAS'I-IUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A CORPO- RATION 0F MAINE.

APPARATUS FOR PAPER-MAKING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 19, 1918. Serial No. 229 193.

To all w 710% it may concern:

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Nashua, in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Apparatus for Paper-Making, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to paper making, and more particularly'to methods of and apparatus for handling aweb or fiber layer while in a moist and formative stage.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying illustration showing one specific applicationthereof, while its scope will be more particu- Fig. 1 is a sectional detail in plan taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings and to the apparatus which is therein disclosed for illustrative purposes, I have therein shown a machine of the so-called wet type adapted to receive stock with th e fibers held in liquid suspension, form a Web or fiber layer therefrom and express or exhaust the water from such fiber.

Herein for illustrative purposes I have shown a tank 1 to which the stock may be fed through any suitable means. The stock passes to the stock inlet 2, thence downwardly to the passage 3 beneath the tank to the chamber 4 at the opposite side thereof, and thence over the plate5 'to'the tank space where it is delivered to the surface of the cylindrical screen drum or cylinder mold 6. the latter being partly immersed in the stock and adapted to rotate in the direction of the arrow. The constructional details of this cylinder mold are immaterial, and it may have anyof the usual constructional characteristics of an apparatus of this class, the water being ordinarily compelled to pass from the exterior of the cylinder to the interior thereof through a suitable foraminous or screening surface, the liquid passing through a suitable discharge outlet 7 (indicated in section in Fig. 2) connected with the interior of the screen, and the wet fiber being deposited on the outside of the screen forming a web as the screen rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1.

In the form of machine shown, the cylinder mold rotates in direct frictional engagement with a couch roll 10,'the latter being of any suitable construction and adapted to remove by direct pressure contact with the cylinder mold the accumulation of wet fiber thereon. The couch roll, by way of example. may be constructed of wood covered with a woolen or felt jacket 11 of suitable thickness to take up the fiber and to some extent extract the moisture therefrom. Herein the couch roll rotates in frictional engagement with a presser roll 12 to which (as will more fully appear) the web or fiber is delivered, the'presser roll 12 in turn engaging with a cooperating presser roll 13,

Referring first to the mechanism for ClIlV- ing the several rolls herein referred to, any suitable driving mechanism may be employed, but herein driving power is applied to the lower presser roll 13-,thus serving to v drive through frictional contact the upper roll 12, the cooperating couch roll 10, and by means of the latter also the cylinder mold 6. Any of the'several parts referred to, however, might be independently driven or the driving power might be applied to one of the driven members other than the presser roll 13. a

The presser roll 13 herein shown as sarily, of metal. The upper presser roll na1 boxes '20 adapted to slide in vertical which (as will more fully appear) is in-. tended to carry the web between the rolls,

may, for example, be constructed of wood latter having threaded engagement with the fixed part 26 of the frame and adapted to be turned by the hand wheel 27 to adjust the pressure upon the rolls to the desired or required amount.

Referring to the mounting of the couch .roll 10, the latter is mounted so that it is allowed to rest both against the presser roll 12 and the cylinder mold 6, being forced into frictional contact therewith, preferably by means of some adjustable pressure means.

Herein the downward pressure of the couch roll upon the cylinder mold is efl ected at each end thereof by means of a weight 30 (Fig. 1) attached to the arm 31 pivoted at 32 upon a fixed part of the frame and engaging the projecting end of the couch roll shaft 33 to exert a downward pressure thereagainst. The pressure of the couch roll against the presser roll 12 is elfectedat each end of the couch roll by a lever 34 carrying the shoe 35 which/ presses against the projecting end of the couch roll shaft, said lever being pivoted-at '35 to a fixed part of the frame and connected to a rod 36 which is pressed'outwardly by the spring 37 inter.- posed between-an abutment 38 on the frame and a threaded nut 39 on the end of the rod v whereby thecompression of the spring 37 maybe adjusted and the pressure of the the roll toward and from the presser roll 12.

shoe 35 against; the couch roll regulated. Unnecessary endwise movement of the couch roll is prevented by any suitable means such as the pivoted uprightarms 39, one at each end of the couch roll, the upper ends of which are formed to receive the ends of the couch roll shaft 33 and prevent axial movement of the roll, the arms, however, being pivoted to allow freedom of movement of cylinder 6 or the In the illustrated form of machine, as previously stated, the moist web is taken up from the cylinder mold by the couch roll and delivered to the presser roll 12 and compressed between the rolls 12 and 13, in th course of which operation the water or moisture is very largely expressed from the fiber.

- In the specific form of machine the web is allowed to build up by successive rotations of the presser mold 12 until it is. of the desired thickness, whereupon it is stripped by the operator from the roll 12 in theform of a slab or sheet and set aside for future use. The invention, however, as to its broad features may be applicable to other situations where a web is formed and passed on to some subsequent operation for" immediate use.

As the wet fiber layer passes around the couch roll and approaches the converging surface of the presser roll 12, and subsequent to its passage between the couch roll and the presser roll 12, and as it approaches the converging surfaces of the presser rolls 12 and 13, it is subjected to the action of devices which assist in holding the web fiber toward the contacting rolls and in guiding it in the desired path between the rolls, while at the same time allowing the water expressed from the fiber to drain away without interfering-with the advance of the fiber.

For this purpose there is provided. in the specific form of machine shown, a device which acts repeatedly to engage the wet fiber layer on the couch roll, holding and guiding the layer toward the converging surfaces of the roll, and permitting thewater expressed from the fiber by the rolls to drain freely away, and herein also assisting to sonie degree in extracting the moisture from the fiber by the pressure exerted thereagainst.

While this might be accomplished by various means, herein I have shown as illustrative of one form of apparatus a perforated plate 40 which extends substantially the full length of the couch roll and is shaped to conform to the surface thereof. This plate is given a reciprocatory movement which is relatively rapid as compared with the speed of rotation of'the roll, being caused to move from the dotted line position shown in 3 to the full line position shown therein, being'th'ereby caused to repeatedly approach and withdraw from the surface of the couch roll and to press the fiber against the couch roll and toward the converging surfaces of thetwo rolls. The plate being perforated, the water which is expelled by the increasing proximity of the rolls, and also such water as is expressed by the pressure of the plate, escapes through. the plate and is conducted away without interfering withfthe advance of the fiber between the rolls.

To facilitate the withdrawal of the water, the reciprocating plate 40 forms, in con' junction with the preferably unperforated plate 41, a trough-like structure which is fiber, the plate, if desired; may be provided 7 with any suitable valve devices as illustrative of-whioh '1: have indicated the flap valve 42 which overlies the perforations in the Leavers hinged to the plate at 43 and is provided with a light tension spring 44 tending to keep the valve to its seat but allowing the valve to lift and permit the escape of the water at each downward movement of the plate; v

The fiber holding and drainage frame is herein shown as supported by the yoke: shapedrod 45, the latter engaging a plurality of cross-connecting members 46 secured to the two plates 40 and 41. The downwardly turnedends of the rod 45 are connected to the supporting rods 47 preferably by some adjustable devices such as the turn-buckles 48, whereby a finely graduated adjustment of the perforated plate 40 with relation to the couch roll may be had. Each supporting rod 47 is connected to suitable devices which serve to reciprocate the same. Herein each rod is pivotally mounted on a projection 49 carried by an arm 50, which latter is pivoted on the shaft 51 supported by the rearwardly extending arm 52 of a bell crank lever, which lever is secured to a shaft 53 to oscillate therewith. The shaft 53 is mounted to rock in suitable ournals in the machine frame and carries at its outer end a depending rocker arm, 54 having the cam roll 55 adapted to engage with the cam 56. The cam 56 (Fig; 1) is secured to a countershaft 57, the latter having a driving pulley 58 connected by the driving belt 59 to the driving pulley 60 on the main drive shaft 16. As the main drive shaft is turned, the cam 56 is rotated, causing the shaft 53 and the lever arm 52 to oscillate, thus imparting a rapid, reciprocatory movement to the supporting arms 47 and the plate 40 within the limits indicated in Fig. 3.

. In order that the plate may approach and recede from the wet fiber, the plate 41 is shaped to conform to the surface of the presser roll 12 and is kept'thrown back in contact with the roll b any suitable means, as by the spring 61 Fig. 3), one end of which is secured to a fixed point 62 on the machine frame, and the opposite end to an arm or finger 63 extending 'rearwardly from the supporting rod 47 This normally holds the rod back, that is to say, with the plate 41 in contact with the roll 12, the path of movement of the presser plate being indicated in dottedlines near the top of Fig. 3.

After the web has passed between the couch roll and the presser roll 12 with the water thus partly expressed, it is diverted from the couch roll and caused to advance between the presser rolls 12'and 13. To

assist in diverting the fiber from the couch roll, suitable means are provided, such, for example, as a plate 70, the edge of which res-ts against the couch roll and is given a vertical reciprocatory movement, serving to strip the wet fiber from the couch roll and divert it toward the presser rolls. The plate is preferably perforated, as indicated, so as to allow the free water to drain away and separate from the fiber. In order to impart the desired reciprocatory movement to the plate 70, the latter has the downwardly projecting portions 71 which are fastened to the arms 50 previously referred to, being. preferably secured by some means such as the screws 72 passing through slots in the plate and threaded into lugs 73 secured to the arms 50, whereby the plate may be given a fine adjustment toward or away from the couch roll. The spring 61 pulling down on the arm 63 as it does, also tends to throw the plate 70 against the surface of the couch roll, so that as the arm 52 is oscillated as previously described, the plate is given a rapid reciprocatory movement with its ed e in contact with the couch roll and directed against. the on-coming fiber along the path indicated in Fig. 3. a

The fiber as it separates from the couch roll is diverted toward the presser roll 12 and its point of contact with the presser roll 13. This maybe accomplished by any suitable means, but herein the pulp is r'eceived by a member which may, for example, be also in the'form of a perforated plate and which also acts as a combined holding and drainage member to hold the fiber in the required relation for engagement by the presser rolls 12 and 13. To this end the plate is herein shown as carried upon the arms 81 which extend between the arms 71 of the plate 70 and are pivotally secured to the shaft 82, torsion springs 83 being fastened to the arms 81 and a collar 84 fixed on the shaft 82, so that the plate is pressed, with its edge or lip in contact with the-presser roll 13. The shaft 82 is carried in the arms 85, which, with the complementary arms 52, form the bell crank levers hereinbefore referred to as secured to the rock shaft 53. As the shaft 53 oscillates, therefore, the plate 80, is reciprocated between the limits shown in the full line and dotted-line positions indicated in Fig, 3, and acts to press the moist fiber toward the presser roll 12 and toward the point of convergence. The perforations in the plate serve to withdraw the water wh ch is extracted by the pressure of the plate against the pulp, as well as such water as is forced back by the compression of the fiber between the presser rolls.

Preferably adjustment is provided between plate 80 and its support, whereby the position of the plate with relation to the presser rolls may be regulated, such adjustment herein shown being similar to that of the plate 7 0 and consisting of the screws 86 passingthrough slots in the arms (Fig.

on the shaft .82.

tends to carryg the fiber with it, preventing it from advancing between the rolls. That is to say, the expressed water being driven to its only path of escape forces back the fiber and prevents its advance to the rolls. I have found, however, that by the use of properly applied holding and drainage devices, of which the reciprocatory, perforated plates are illustrative examples, the wet fiber may be held to or toward its designed path of travel between the rolls while at the same 7 time the expressed water may be extracted and allowed to drain away without interference with the desired progress and advance of the pulp. While the perforated plates 40 and 80 may and preferably do exert a certaini amount of pressure on the fiber in such a way as'to extract a portion of the moisture therefrom in addition to that squeezed out by the couch roll 11 and presser roll 12 through means of such pressure, the main purpose of these plates is to allow the drainage of the water while holding and guiding the pulp toward and be tween the rolls. v

The web when built up to the required amount, is stripped from the presser roll 12 by the operative in any usual or wellknown way and delivered to the shelf or table 90.

While I have herein shown and described for purposes of illustration one specific form of the invention, it is to be understood that the same is not limited to the detail steps or constructional features herein shown, but that extensive deviations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit thereof,

Claims:

1. In a paper machine'fonhandling a moist fiber layer, the combination with engaging presser rolls, of means for presentmg wet fiber to be received by said rolls in direct contact with each, said means including a curved holding and drainage member acting upon the on-coining fiber at one side of said rolls.

2; In a paper machine for handling a moist fiber layer, the combination with en-' gaging presser rolls, of means for'p'resenti'ng the wet fiber tofbekreceived by said rolls indirect contact with each, said means comprising a device shaped to conform approxi mately to the curvature of a roll and adapted to hold and drain the fiber list prior to its-engagement by the rolls.

3. In a paper machine, for handling a moist fiber layer, the combination with engaging presser rolls, of means for presentexpressed therethrough.

ing the wet fiber to bereceived by said rolls in direct contact with each, said means comprising a curved foraminous holding member adapted to hold and guide; the fiber toward the rolls.

4:. In a paper machine for handling a moist fiber layer, the combination with en-' gaging presser rolls, of means for present ing the wet fiber to be received by said rolls in direct'contact with each, said means including a perforated member shaped to conform approximately to the curvature of a roll, adapted without passing through the rolls to engage the fiber prior to its passage therethrough and hold and drain the same.

5. In a paper machine for handling a moist fiber layer, the combination with engaging press'er rolls, of means for presenting the wet fiber to be received by said rolls indirect contact with each, said means ineluding a member shaped approximately to 1 places, and adapted to press the fiber toward the rolls while draining away the free water 6; In a paper machine, "the combination with a pair of presser rolls, of means for feeding a moist fiber layer thereto, and 'a reciprocatory, curved perforated plate overlying the fiber prior toits entrance between the rolls and adapted to have a movement toward and from the fiber and toward and from the point of convergence of the rolls.

7. In a paper machine, the combination with a rotatable cylinder mold, of means for feeding stock-to form a web thereon, a couch roll in contact with the cylinder'mold, a

presser roll in contact with the couch roll, and means to hold the fiber toward the point of convergence of-the two rolls, comprising 12; reciprocatory holding and drainage mem- 8. In a paper machine, the combination with a rotatable cylinder mold, of means for ing rolls and perforated in one or more" conform to the space between the-convergfeeding stock to form a web thereon, a couch roll in contact with the cylinder mold, a

presser roll in contact with the .couch roll, means to hold the fiber toward the point of convergence of the two rolls, comprising a reciprocatory holding and drainage member, and means for stripping the fiber from the couch roll. I

, 9. In a paper machine, the combination with a rotatable cylinder mold, of means-for feeding stock to form a web thereon, a couch roll in contact with the cylinder mold, a presser roll incontact with the couch roll, means tohold the fiber toward the point of convergence of the rolls, comprising a reciprocating, holding and drainage member, means for stripping the fiber from the couch roll, a second presser roll engaging the said first roll, and means for presenting the stripped fiber to the two presser rolls, comise prising a second reciprocating, holding and rolls and perforated in one or more places to draina e member. V drain the moisture from the Web, and means 10. n a paper machine the combination to reciprocate said member. 10 with a pair of presser rolls of means to In testimony whereof, I have signed 5 form a moist web and feed the same toward name to this specification.

the ,presser rolls, a member shaped to approximate thespace between the'converging FRANK M. 

